And other things I never thought
I would say until I became a mother!
Sharing the adventures I have as a single mom and glorifying God through it all.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Disney World couldn't get this reaction

In deciding to make
some changes around our house, I thought it would be fun to spend some time alone with each
child this summer before I went back to work.We would do something fun, of
their choice, with a limited dollar amount for the day.

Rhianna is getting her
tonsils out on Tuesday (July 17th) and I know how she loves stuffed
animals to snuggle.

That is why Build a
Bear was suggested and chosen.

She was so.very.excited
to go and get a bear.

What she didn’t know
was that she got to pick it out, stuff it and dress it.

I wish I had a picture
of her face when she realized all that was involved.

Friday morning came and
we did our chores.At 1:30 we took the boys
to Grandma’s house for the afternoon and just us girls took off for the
day.

We were going to Build
a Bear and then to Aldi to stock up on as many frozen treats as we could for
the painful week ahead.

We walked through the
mall and Rhianna was so worried we would never find the shop.I wish I had a picture of her face when I
pointed to the sign and she walked in the store.

She knew she wanted a
bunny and not a bear; it was just deciding which bunny to choose.

She looked a bit and
then decided to look at the outfits first.She went up and down the row at least a hundred times trying to
choose.

After looking a bit and
choosing a cute little outfit, she went back to the bunnies to pick one.She looked down into the bin of the ‘skins’
of the animals and said “This one’s eyes are begging me to take her.I know this is the one”

That’s what I love
about this girl.

Her imagination.

Her loving nature.

She picked up the empty
bunny and took it to the lady working the store.

Her name was ‘Julie’.

Julie took us over to
the ‘stuffing machine’ and showed Rhianna how to push the peddle to make the
stuffing come out the tube and into the bunny.

As Julie was
manipulating the cotton into the extremities of the bunny, the little sounds coming
out of Rhianna were priceless.

She was so excited she couldn’t
even speak.

All that could come out
was little squeaks of joy.

It made the fact that, I
was spending money I shouldn’t be spending, worth it .

Disney World couldn’t
get this reaction:

After the bunny was
stuffed, Julie gave the bunny to Rhianna for a ‘squeeze test’.To make sure that the bunny was just right.

After it passed the
squeeze test, Rhianna was told to pick out a heart to put in the bunny.

She had to rub it on
her head, to make the bunny smart.

Rub it on her side, so
that it would always be a friend who stuck by her side.

To rub it on her heart,
so the bunny would love.

Then the heart was
placed in the bunny and Julie sewed her up tight.

After the stitches were
complete, Rhianna took the bunny to the shower for an air bath.

She giggled the whole
time.

Still not speaking a
word.

Only squeaks and
giggles.

I on the other hand
wanted to cry.

I am so thankful that
it doesn’t take much to make my daughter this happy.

It’s the little things
in life that bring joy, and she knows that.

We went over to the
dressing table to dress the bunny.

Once she was fully
clothed, Rhianna showed her in the mirror what her new outfit looked like.

Then we were headed to
the computers to create her birth certificate.

The naming of the bunny
was to happen here.

Oh my.

What a tough decision.

I guess we as humans
have months and months to choose our child’s name.

Rhianna was only given
a few minutes.

‘Becky’ was the final
choice.

Once we were finished,
the certificate was printed and it was time to pay.

Rhianna still hardly
spoke anything at this point.

Ribbons were put on
Becky’s ears as a complimentary gift.

Then it was time to go.

I told Rhianna to stand
at the front of the store and hold up her bunny.

I walked across the
aisle for a picture.

A group of women walked
in front of me and noticed Rhianna standing there alone.They looked at her quizzically and then happened to notice me.They smiled and laughed and I heard one say “Isn’t she so cute…with her
new bunny”

We walked out of the
mall.

Rhianna still hardly
speaking, just grinning from ear to ear, with the occasional skip.

*Special Request: I would love it if you would comment and leave a note of well-wishes for Rhianna. (Even if you don't know her personally, she would LOVE to hear from you!!!) I will read them to her when she is in recovery. It would pass the time and make her feel special while she is beginning to heal from her tonsilectomy. I know people have had problems commenting in the past, but I made some adjustments that should solve the problem. Please leave your first name and where you are from. (If we don't know you :o) Thanks in advance!!*

Hi little Sweetie, Don't be afraid...Jesus will be right there with you holding your hand. The doctors and nurses will take good care of you and Mommy will be there when you wake up. I'll be thinking about you too...Love you, Sandy

I LOVVEE your new bunny, Becky. Caydi got to get her first Build-a-Bear last year for her Birthday from her aunt "Kiki" and she loved it too. We are praying for you and that your throat does not hurt too long. When my girls had their out, every time their throat hurt, we just made them drink, drink, drink and eat, eat, eat, and they sore throat really went away. Even though it may seem scary, it really, really helps make it feel better. Love,Cyndi (Caydi's mom).p.s. Caydi says get well soon!!!!

Dear Rhianna,I hope your surgery goes well and you enjoy all the special treats while you heal up! Eat a popsicle for me! Your new Becky bunny is really cute, thanks for showing her to me at church last Sunday. We need to have you come over and play with Charity again this summer, so get better quick!

Am praying for you Rhianna. Your Becky is the cutest bunny ever. She will be there to squeeze when you are recovering from your surgery. Eat lots of cool snacks and drink lots of cool drinks. I wish I had seen you while I was at Ellen's, but we were soooooo busy making beautiful quilts. Have a great rest of the summer, and feel better soon. Love, Bella's Aunt Georgann.

Hi Rhianna,We will be praying for you all day tomorrow! I loved your mom's post about Becky. It is nice to have a bunny to keep you company while you are in the hospital. Enjoy all of your chilly treats during your recovery. Feel better soon!Love, April, Morgan & Max D.

Rhianna - We will be thinking of you tomorrow when you have your tonsils out. Isabel remembers having hers removed 2 summers ago. She says you will like the popsicles but maybe not right away. We said a prayer for you tonight, and will again tomorrow. Hope you feel better as soon as possible. We both love your Becky bunny and the stories your Mommy writes about all the things that you do - especially the fishing one.Love, Ellen and Isabel

Hi Rihanna,We will sure be praying for you tomorrow. We hope that your surgery goes perfectly and that you are feeling extra great as soon as possible. You made SUCH a perfect bunny, and I know that Becky will help you to feel safer, even when you're not feeling very good!((Hugs))Larisa, David, Yikealo and Sintayehu

I hope you feel better soon! Be sure to get all of the Popsicles you can get while your mom lets you! That's a pretty cool bunny you made. Just make sure Becky doesn't get into the heating pipes like Jack did :)

I hope your surgery and recovery go super fast! I had two kiddos get their tonsils out too and now they are much healthier! Becky is beautiful and you are too. You have an amazing mommy who will be with you and give you lots of popscicles I'm sure. I absolutely love your name Rhianna!